The profoundly talented and likeable Nelsan Ellis, best known for his portrayal of Lafayette on True Blood, died this week at only 39 years old. The cause was reportedly heart failure, but his family has come forward to say that he was going through alcohol withdrawal when he died, in an attempt to get sober on his own.

TMZreports that Ellis had been fighting a drug and alcohol addiction for years, and was trying to recover on his own when he became suddenly ill:

“During his withdrawal from alcohol he had a blood infection, his kidneys shut down, his liver was swollen, his blood pressure plummeted, and his dear sweet heart raced out of control.”

The family went on to say Nelsan “was ashamed of his addiction and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life. His family, however, believes that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others.”